Diet for a chick?

[Newbie123]

What should i feed my chicks? I want to make the food myself and want to make sure I get everything done right.

What should their diet be made of?!!?

 

[mcdze]

well they need alittle grit, alittle vegetable matter and alittle protein .. so catch you a few bugs, and toss them in the blender with some lettuce and sprinkle it with dirt and you'll about have it lol ... but honestly, get a bag of brand name chick starter, its what all the cool kids do ..

 

[Kiki]

What should i feed my chicks? I want to make the food myself and want to make sure I get everything done right.

What should their diet be made of?!!?

Can you not buy a complete balanced commercially made feed where you live?

 

[Kiki]

well they need alittle grit, alittle vegetable matter and alittle protein .. so catch you a few bugs, and toss them in the blender with some lettuce and sprinkle it with dirt and you'll about have it lol ... but honestly, get a bag of brand name chick starter, its what all the cool kids do ..

Are you joking or being serious?

 

[Brooks_]

The "but honestly" makes me think joking.

 

[Kiki]

The "but honestly" makes me think joking.

Thanks. I have trouble figuring out sometimes.
Seriously though... You will spend triple if not more the money trying to make a balanced feed for your birds. It is so much cheaper and easier and actually healthier to buy a commercially made feed.

 

[Goosebaby]

You can make your own feeds but getting all the ingredients, the proper ratios of protein, vitamins, nutrients, pre and probiotics and ensuring you aren’t getting any mold contamination is very time and cost consuming.
The mills make it work because they mass produce and spread the cost out reasonably to the customers.

It’s easier, cheaper, and safer just to buy feed and supplement with treats, vitamins if you think they’re needed on the side.

 

[saysfaa]

You might consider fermenting. I'm convinced by a lot of threads on this forum several years ago, and some links to others sites. I don't have access to my saved links right now, I'll add them later. This is probably one of them... https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

Besides all the other benefits, it feels good to be making their feed. Yesterday, I started the first two batches for my first chickens. I used commercial feed: the brand name crumble I got because I was far from home for the first five days after I picked up my chicks and the local feed mill's mix that I intend to use here on out. I figure if I'm buying most of the ingredients anyway, I may as well buy them already proportioned properly in the commercial mix. But fermenting is beneficial for both commercial mixes and home mixed feeds.

 

[Newbie123]

Well when we first got chicks we fed them completely commercial. Then, we noticed our commercial fed hens stopped laying quicker, and we have been making it ever since. We also have hens that are 6 yrs old and still lay.
But, usually i dont make the food. And once everyone figured out I ordered chicks... they all sorta said "you're on your own."

So , i need the BASIC knowledge!
Have a brooder, heat lamps, even watering stations...just need a chick-healthly-receipe

 

[saysfaa]

Well when we first got chicks we fed them completely commercial. Then, we noticed our commercial fed hens stopped laying quicker, and we have been making it ever since. We also have hens that are 6 yrs old and still lay.
But, usually i dont make the food. And once everyone figured out I ordered chicks... they all sorta said "you're on your own."

So , i need the BASIC knowledge!
Have a brooder, heat lamps, even watering stations...just need a chick-healthly-receipe

I think you use the same recipe as a good layer mix except take out the extra calcium and check that the protein is between 18 and 20 percent. And a finer grind than hens can handle if you don't ferment it. I don't formulate feed but have been around a lot of people who do it for a living for many species so I've picked up some about it.